Advising Indra Nooyi
How do you describe meeting the CEO of the multi billion conglomerate, PEPSICO.?
Let me try.
Left for NY on 15th by Jet Airways..landed in Newark airport and found a limo waiting to take me to the hotel. The hotel was on Steamboat road and as the name suggests there was a stream next to the hotel with boats in it... the view was awesome...
Spent the night restlessly wondering what the morning would bring..will I be able to do a good job presenting the analysis to the PepsiCo board? I could manage only a few hours...
Had breakfast with the VP (HR) of PepsiCo India... he was going to accompany us to the HQ at Purchase.... maybe he felt I needed a little bit of protection ;)
Reached the office and found the view breathtaking... the office is actually a huge park which is open to public.. saw people with baskets of food, children and dogs having picnic on the park... The park also has great sculpture by artists with background varying from an industrial worker to an aeronautical engineer...the park is actually a national heritage site.. http://www.hudsonrivervalley.com/index.cfm?section_id=6&page_id=169
Got the system working in quick time..and did a dry run of the presentation when a huge, friendly guy walked in... he introduced himself as the President of the Asian region..
He is a lovely person..very alive and very friendly...
Then the VP (HR) of the PepsiCo Worldwide walked in.... another warm personality... and before I could take all this into my stride, Ms. Indra Nooyi stepped into the boardroom... She looked so imposing and had an aura of a rockstar... She asked for lunch and all of us sat down to have food in the boardroom..I could hardly gulp down a couple of spoon fulls...
Post lunch was when I presented the analysis of the case http://pepsicotastethesuccess.com/
It went of smoothly and a few questions were asked.. they were fielded with elan..
All the board members were very happy... there was a lot of clapping and patting of the backs... Then Ms. Nooyi asked us if we wanted to see her office...
so we accompanied her to her office... it was as imposing as her... there photos with Ms Nooyi and Mr Saad were clicked... Guess these are the photos that I will frame and hang forever on my walls....
We then had a tour of the PepsiCo office premises... bought some memorabilia.. was gifted a watch by Ms Nooyi.... and left for the second hotel... had around a day before I flew back to home...
The new hotel was right on Times Square...look out of the window and I could see the Square... a sight that I cannot forget...wanted to catch "The Lion King" (from where I take my nickname on PG) on Broadway, but all the tickets were sold out..went to the Empire State Building the next day...took a cruise that went all around the island... saw the Statue of Liberty, the Wall Street, the George Washington Bridge etc...
Took a NYC cab and went to JFK... and then flew back home.....
Was an unforgettable experience.... dunno what can be bigger than this... Hopefully I did MDI proud and left a small impression on the people there....
Let me try.
Left for NY on 15th by Jet Airways..landed in Newark airport and found a limo waiting to take me to the hotel. The hotel was on Steamboat road and as the name suggests there was a stream next to the hotel with boats in it... the view was awesome...
Spent the night restlessly wondering what the morning would bring..will I be able to do a good job presenting the analysis to the PepsiCo board? I could manage only a few hours...
Had breakfast with the VP (HR) of PepsiCo India... he was going to accompany us to the HQ at Purchase.... maybe he felt I needed a little bit of protection ;)
Reached the office and found the view breathtaking... the office is actually a huge park which is open to public.. saw people with baskets of food, children and dogs having picnic on the park... The park also has great sculpture by artists with background varying from an industrial worker to an aeronautical engineer...the park is actually a national heritage site.. http://www.hudsonrivervalley.com/index.cfm?section_id=6&page_id=169
Got the system working in quick time..and did a dry run of the presentation when a huge, friendly guy walked in... he introduced himself as the President of the Asian region..
He is a lovely person..very alive and very friendly...
Then the VP (HR) of the PepsiCo Worldwide walked in.... another warm personality... and before I could take all this into my stride, Ms. Indra Nooyi stepped into the boardroom... She looked so imposing and had an aura of a rockstar... She asked for lunch and all of us sat down to have food in the boardroom..I could hardly gulp down a couple of spoon fulls...
Post lunch was when I presented the analysis of the case http://pepsicotastethesuccess.com/
It went of smoothly and a few questions were asked.. they were fielded with elan..
All the board members were very happy... there was a lot of clapping and patting of the backs... Then Ms. Nooyi asked us if we wanted to see her office...
so we accompanied her to her office... it was as imposing as her... there photos with Ms Nooyi and Mr Saad were clicked... Guess these are the photos that I will frame and hang forever on my walls....
We then had a tour of the PepsiCo office premises... bought some memorabilia.. was gifted a watch by Ms Nooyi.... and left for the second hotel... had around a day before I flew back to home...
The new hotel was right on Times Square...look out of the window and I could see the Square... a sight that I cannot forget...wanted to catch "The Lion King" (from where I take my nickname on PG) on Broadway, but all the tickets were sold out..went to the Empire State Building the next day...took a cruise that went all around the island... saw the Statue of Liberty, the Wall Street, the George Washington Bridge etc...
Took a NYC cab and went to JFK... and then flew back home.....
Was an unforgettable experience.... dunno what can be bigger than this... Hopefully I did MDI proud and left a small impression on the people there....
posted by anacreon at 9:39 AM
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